Framework for supporting signal mechanism.



No.743,159. PATENTED NOV. 3,1903.

R. HERMAN.

FRAMEWORK FOR SUPPORTING SIGNAL-MEGHANISM.

- APPLIUATION PILED NOV. 12, 1900;

N0 MODEL. I 3 SHBETS-SHEBT 1.

Tnrnolms Prim ca, Pnoraumix. wsumarom u. c

PATENTED NOV. 3, 1903.

. R. HERMAN.

FRAMEWORK FOR SUPPORTING SIGNAL MEGHANISM.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 12, 1900.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

mauonms versus co, wmauma. WASHINGTON. a. c.

PATENTED NOV. 3, 1903.

R. HERMAN. FRAMEWORK FOR SUPPORTING SIGNAL MECHANISM.

APPL'IOATION'IILED NOV. 12, 1900.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

N0 MODEL.

w: uonms PETERs co, PNOTO-LITHO wumnmou. n. c.

Patented November 3, 1903.

UNITED STATES PATENT O FICE;

REINHOLD HERMAN, OF GRAFTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

FRAMEWORK FOR SUPPORTING SIGNAL MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 743,159, dated November 3, 1903.

Application filed November 12,1900. Serial No. 86,256. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may. concern:

Be it known that I, REINHOLD HERMAN, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Grafton, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Signal Mechanism, of which the following is a specification, reference being bad therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in framework for supporting signaling mechanism, such as employ a construction and arrangement of operating mechanism and controlling circuits, whereby the same signal may be employed as a home and distant signal, its movements from clear to danger and cantion being efiected automatically, but controlled by train movements.

This invention is to be considered in connection with a patent issued to G. B. Gray on the 29th day of August, 1899, No. 631,869, of which I am now apart owner; and the object of this invention is to simplify and improve the construction thereof.

It is a still further object to simplify the construction of the mechanism in such a manner that by the removal of one standard or upright all the remaining parts of the mechanism will be accessible for repairs or adj ustment without necessitating the. disassembling of the entire mechanism or removing same from signal box or casing proper While the above sets forth some of the principal objects in the invention,.-yet aside from these other objects are sought to be obtained by the construction to be hereinafter specifically described, and in describing the invention in detail reference will be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and wherein like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views, in which- Figure 1 is a rear elevation of the mechanism for operatingthe signal. Fig. 2 is aside elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a central vertical sectional View. Fig. 4is alike view of a portion of the mechanism, showing its positions in full and dotted lines. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the frame or bracket for the lock-magnets. Fig. 6 is a similar view of .magnets.

of the lock-block. Fig. 10 is a horizontal sec tional view of the adj lIlStlIlg-[llltS for the lockmagnets, showing a part of the supporting frame or bracketand threaded rod.

It will be understood that the semaphore type of signal is the one to which the mechanism herein described is most applicable, and such signal will therefore be described in detail, though of course the mechanism is applicable to other types of signals.

In the practice of the invention I provide two uprights or standards 1 2, the former being the front and the latter. the rear upright or standard. Each of these uprights or standards is provided at its lower end with a flange 3, havingapertured lugs for the reception of the bolt 4, that secure the standards or uprights upon the base or pedestal 5. These uprights or standards are provided with suitable apertures for the reception of the shafts upon which the train of gearing for operating the mechanism is mounted. The standards or uprights are connected at a point just above the train of gearing by a bridge consisting of a base-plate 6, provided with upwardly-extending flanges 7, which engage in guideways 8, provided therefor on the inner face of each of the standards, the upwardlyextending flanges being suitably apertured, together with the uprights or standards, for the reception of bolts 9 for securing the bridge in position. Above the bridge on standards 1 and 2 are placed two reinforced lugs 2 for the purpose of bolting stop-plate 3 to standards 1 and 2, thereby holding same in line with the bridge. It will be observed that by removing bolts 4, bolts 9, and bolts 4 standard 1 may readily be removed from the machine without disturbing any other part of the mechanism. The bridge carries two downwardly-extending arms 10, having journals in their lower ends in which is mounted a roller 11, which acts as a guide for the driving-rod. Above the point where the bridge connects the two standards together each standard is provided with a vertical groove or runway 12 for the reception of the slide-.

plate 14, which plate, like the uprights or standards,in so far as is practical is of skeleton construction in order to lighten the mechanism to as great an extent as is advisable. This plate 14 carries the lock-magnets and their supporting mechanism,which l will now describe.

The lock-magnets 15 are mounted in a suitable frame or bracket 16, which is connected to the plate 14, the adjusting-screw 17of the magnets being held in a slotted bracket-arm 18, formed integral with the bracket or frame 15 16. This screw has mounted thereon at each side of the bracket-arm 18 an adjusting-nut 19, and the bracket or frame 16 is provided with a pair of slots 20. On this slotted portion of the bracket or frame 16 is mounted, 20 by means of two locking-screws 21, an adjustable bracket 22, carrying an integral T- shaped extension 23, having an aperture 24 to receive the adjusting-screw 17 and apertures 25 for the reception of the cores of the 25 magnets. The armature 26 of these lookmagnets is carried by a pair of links 27, being connected thereto near the pivotal point of said links. The lower link of the pair 27 is hinged or pivoted to a pair of links 28 29, 30 the former having its free end seated in the bracket or frame and the latter having a knifeedge at its outer end to engage in the V- shaped slot 30, provided therefor in one edge of the lock-block 31. The links 27 are ar- 5 ranged at an angle to the links 28 29, the upper link having its free end seated in the frame or bracket 16 in a like manner to the free end of the link 28. The lock-blockis provided with a central aperture of a diameter which will freely admit the driving-rod 32, this opening 33 having the wall along one side at diiferent angles, as shown at 34, (see Fig. 16,) so as to engage upon the inclined seat 35, formed at the lower edge of the recessed por- 5 tion 36 of the rod 32, the seat 35 and wall of the opening at 34 being at exactly the same angle. When the driving-rod 32 has entered the opening 33 in the lockblock and the lockmagnets are energized, so as to actuate the lock-block and move the same into locking engagement with the rod 32, the inclined wall of the opening will firmly seat upon the inclined shoulder of the rod (see Fig. 9) irrespective of the adjustment of the lock-mag- 5 nets, thereby retaining at all times the pressure-point of the load-line in the same position. This lock-block operates through a central tube or sleeve 36, which receives the rod 32.

In order to relieve the train of gearing and motor from the weight of the signal when in clear and caution position and also to prevent any tendency to a reverse movement of the motor by the weight of the signal, I provide pawls 37 38, pivotally mounted in the stop-plate 3, which are secured to the uprights or standards 1 2 in such a manner or at such points that these pawls willprojectinto the path of movement of the block 31 when the latter is shifted to locking position. These pawls are so located vertically in the brackets that when the signal has been moved down to caution or clear position the projecting end of the lock-block 31 will have moved above one or the other of these pawls, which will drop under the projecting end of the block, and thereby prevent any downward movement of the sleeve so long as the block is held in look or operative position. It is preferred to incline or bevel the edge of the block, as shown at 31, and also to incline or bevel the free ends of the pawls which bear against the block, so that the weight of the signal and sleeve will have a tendency to move the block to unlocking position, and thereby reinforce the action of the inclined faces 34 35 of the rod 32 and lock-block 31, respectively.

The sleeve 36 is reinforced at its upper end and is provided with threads 40 to receive the threaded coupling sleeve 41, the interior threads on the enlarged lower end of the latter engaging the threads on said sleeve or tube 36 and the interior threads on the contracted upper end of the coupling-sleeve engaging the threaded lower end of the rod 42, which connects with thesemaphore-arm. The threads in the upper end of this sleeve are right-hand and those in the lower end are left-hand, or vice versa, in order that upon the rotation of the coupling-sleeve 41 the movement of the rod 32 will be shortened or lengthened, according to the direction in which the coupling sleeve 41 is rotated. When adjusted to the proper position, the sleeve is prevented from rotation bya nut 43, mounted on the rod 42 above the couplingsleeve 41, and a like lock-nut 44, mounted on the tube 36' below the coupling-sleeve 41, this coupling-sleeve being preferably provided at the upper part of its enlarged portion with openings 45 for the reception of any suitable tool for adjusting the sleeve. This adjustment, being located at the upper end of the sleeve or tube 36 and within the box or casing which incloses the operating mechanism, may be operated, as will be readily apparent, from the ground without necessitating the ascension to the semaphore-arm to make the adjustment.

The shifting of the signal to caution and clear position is in this invention, as in the patent before referred to, effected by means of an electric motor 66 with the armatureshaft thereof connected to a train of gearing or other suitable form of transmitting mechanism to the shaft 67,'on which is secured a pinion 68. adapted to engage a series of teeth 32, formed on the lower part of the rod 32, so that by the rotation of the pinion 68 the rod may be raised to shift the signal to caution and clear positions. In order to permit the rod to move down after the signal has gone to danger without any reversal of the motor and its train IIO The teeth on this pinion are of gearing, some of the teeth are removed, so that when the untoothed or mutilated portion of the pinion comes opposite the rack 32 on the lower end of the rod 32 the latter will be free to drop.

In order to prevent shocks to the mechanism when the signal is shifted, I provide a cylinder 101, which may be suitably supported from the bracket or frame 16, with a piston 102 arranged therein, the rod 103 of said piston being connected to and supported from the bridge which connects the two standards or uprights together or at any other suitable point. This cylinder is provided at its upper end with a controlled outlet 104 of any desired form-such, forinstance, as a groove and regulating-screw.

In this application I have referred to a prior patent issued to G. B. Gray, No. 631,869, and I have not, therefore, shown diagrammatical views of the track-circuits or made the connections from these circuits to the signal-operatin g mechanism, as this invention relates to the mechanical construction of the operating mechanism rather than to any particular manner of making these circuits, and it will be observed that the circuits may be connected up in the same manner as is described in the prior patent or in other desirable manner, as may be found expedient.

Having thus fully described my invention,

what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In signal mechanism, the combination of two uprights or standards, each provided on its inner face with a guide, a bridge engaging said guidesand being removably connected to the said standards, a pair of lugsformed integral with each standard at a point above the said bridge, and a plate secured to said lugs.

2. A frame for signal mechanism and the like comprising a pair of uprights formed with vertical grooves, and guideways arranged therebelow, a plate arranged in said grooves, and a bridge formed with flanges arranged in the said guideways.

3. A frame for signal mechanism, and the like comprising a pair of uprights formed on their inner faces with vertical grooves, and guideways, said guideways being arranged below the said grooves, a plate mounted in said grooves, a bridge formed with upwardlyextending flanges'engaging said guideways, and bolts extending through the said flanges and standards.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

REINHOLD HERMAN.

Witnesses:

A. M. WILSON, H. O. EVERT. 

